Tipples Beer review #47 – The festival that almost never was

Way back in Tipples #30 I told you of a beer festival that got cancelled due to a little bit of rain, well this week, we go to the reschedule festival, now bathed in glorious sunshine.

Check out Tipples #30 here: https://steemit.com/beer/@harveyword/tipples-beer-review-30-a-little-bit-of-rain-doesn-t-stop-me

The Henry street NEIPA, which really wasn't

Now normally I don’t beer festivals, they tend to be badly run, crowded, full of people who think it’s a chance to chat to the people serving beers rather than getting and beer and letting the four people behind them get theirs. So basically because I’m a grumpy old man.

But this festival was really enjoyable, a got mix of brews, some brewed for the event, some standard range, lots of choice (20 something breweries, about 5-6 beers each) good food, a great venue, the gardens of an old convent, good music and good vibes, helped by the strangely of lots of dogs and children in attendence

General festival life

But what of the beers?... well I had a lot, some I wrote about, I took photos of even fewer but lets see some highlights, or at least beers drunk early enough in the day that I was still taking notes.

Henry St Gobsmacker This was supposedly a NEIPA, because every beer being brewed now seems to be a NEIPA. This clearly isn't though. Its a reasonably standard IPA, the bitterness is there but it isn't fruity, there was no haze, no lactose-y overtones. It okay as an IPA, but not what it said on the packet.

Watts river with everything evil in the background, cider gardens and the chimney from AB INBev's CUB brewery

Watts River Three Barrel Brett now this was what it said ont he packet, powered by brettanomyces yeast, which lead to a nice sourdough bread characterics and a soft carbonation very, very good.

Holgate Haze of our Lives NEIPA Of the many many NEIPAs there this was the best of the day, gentle, a touch sweet and soft at the start of the sip and then gentle fruity hops. You can’t have any though, they only made 30 litres – and it was all gone within about 2 hours.

and so are the haze of our lives

My beer of the day was Stockade brewing’s Old Money At 12.6% tasters were the order of the day, even if I had two of them. Old money is a Russian Imperial Stout, that is barrelled in Whisky barrels, because why wouldn’t you. It is sweet and strong and amazingly barrelly I'll be going out immediately and buying some for the cellar.

So if you are in Melbourne, Australia next summer look out for the Brewer’s Feast festival it’s worth it.
Oh an be sure to check out Beer Saturday – run by @Detlev and vote for me on my comment on this post https://steemit.com/beersaturday/@detlev/win-15-sbd-in-week-35-the-steemit-beersaturday-challenge-is-calling-all-steemians if you want me to win, or just below if you like me and like my stuff.

Some serious ping ponging happening.